Column: The Presumpscot River is entangled with my idea of home

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 21, 2026

Growing up, many of my most treasured memories are from time spent outside. But there is one place that feels most significant, both in childhood and today: the Presumpscot River Preserve. Before European settlers arrived, the Presumpscot sustained the Abenaki people. Beginning in the 1730s, dams were constructed that blocked fish passage and submerged the river’s many natural falls. The river was polluted with industrial waste. Decades of conservation efforts, from the Clean Water Act in the 1970s to more recent dam removals and the construction of fish passageways, have helped to restore the river. I’m deeply grateful to the organizations and individuals who protect and steward it so that it remains open to all of us. ~ Soren Stark-Chessa,first-year student, Bates College